[O] Seventeen's Squad travelling alone (Day 2 and after)

[Android 17]

?It?s done, Commander,? one of the soldiers said, saluting the android with one hand and gesturing toward the structure with his other. The building loomed over the plain upon which the battalion had made camp as an unyielding sentry against encroaching dangers. Its completion marked the first hurdle that the machine-hybrid?s unit had leaped, and the resulting morale boost was easily worth the sweat and toil.

?Excellent,? Seventeen decreed, giving the soldier before him an energetic high-five. ?Alert everyone that there will be a short period of rest and relaxation before we continue with our business in this district, savvy?? The onyx-haired cyborg proposed, arching one of his eyebrows as he waited for a verbal acknowledgement.

?Aye, Captain,? the man replied, saluting his leader once more before departing for one of the larger, communal tents to relay the commands. Seventeen kept an eye on the soldier until the entry flap for the tent obscured his vision of the abode?s interior. Once the machine-hybrid was certain that everything was moving along efficiently, he turned his attention to the gray tower a few dozen yards to his left.

The cybernetic warrior reached forward and closed his nimble, white fingers around the cold, stone handle. Seventeen pried open the heavy door and stepped over the threshold and into Tower Aran?s poorly illuminated foyer. The android let out a soft whimper as he rubbed his forearms in an effort to stimulate increased distribution of heat within his internal systems.

Once he had successfully adapted to the slightly diminished temperature within the building, the cybernetic warrior spotted the stone staircase a few feet away and began toward the spiraling flight of steps. The ascent itself, despite entailing a few hundred vertical feet, went by in almost the blink of an eye?as the android felt his mind drifting off the other thoughts and contemplations.

Upon his arrival at the top level of Aran Tower, Seventeen let out a sigh of relief and quickly scanned the small room for the door to the observation region. After a few seconds of brief surveillance, the ebony-haired warrior noticed the door he sought and advanced toward it with a smile displayed on his pale fa?ade. With a flick of his wrist, Seventeen flung open the door and opened his mouth in a declaration of his adoration for the view the room provided.

?Wow?? was the only coherent word that exited the android?s mouth as he advanced toward the observation deck. The window that have been carved from the gray stone wrapped around the entire circumference of the structure?only terminating in certain locations where small pillars were needed to insure structural integrity. Still wearing the same amazed, boyish smile, Seventeen put his hands on the cold stone of the ledge and leaned forward.

Below him, the plains stretched out into the horizon like an endless sea of rolling green waves. Another gasp escaped the youth as he ambled down the room?his widened eyes fully aware of every imperfection, diminutive or grand, on the landscape that was in his field of vision. To someone who had never visited a skyscraper or climbed a mountain summit, the view from the top was enthralling.

?King of the world?? The female voice snickered. After releasing a pent-up sigh and removing the goofy, astonished expression from his face, Seventeen turned around and flashed Paige and warm grin. The jade-skinned woman was leaning against the opened doorframe, her body relaxed against the wooden casing as she smirked at her cybernetic significant other.

?It?s kind of like that,? Seventeen murmured, shifting his attention back to the landscape beneath him as he waited for the former whitelighter to join him at his side. ?I can?t help but be amazed that the men managed to build something so elegant and magnificent in such a short span of time. After all, this tower is anything but stout if you ask me!? The android said, a soft chuckle following afterwards as a means to punctuate his lame joke.

?Well men built you,? Paige giggled, resting her head on Seventeen?s bony shoulder after joining him behind the stone balustrade. The mere mention of his conception elicited a slightly depressed expression to infect that android?s usually chipper visage. After all, when he thought about it in detail, the android was nothing more then another orphan. Seventeen?s only real link to his heritage was the library of knowledge spouting from Android Seven, but it had been ages since the machine-hybrid had visited that hermit.

Would a future visit serve to aid the android in unraveling another piece of his enigmatic past, but then again, what if the cyborg did not like what he witnessed? After all, in the fleeting scenes from his past he had relived on Snakeway, a group of men had hunted him and sealed him away in stasis. Most of the time, persons locked away in stasis don?t have ?Employee of the Month? plaques hung upon at their homes.

?It?s true,? Seventeen stammered after a long pause. ?But that?s not who I am,? he said, turning to face the woman who represented his entire world. ?I?m who I am not because of wires and advanced cybernetics, but because of the people who have left their imprints on my mind and soul, people such as you, Piccolo, Violet, and even that MC Hammer wannabe Super Buu. Maybe someday I will uncover what I was back then, but for the moment, I enjoy who I am right now?thank you,? the machine-hybrid ended the small speech by kissing the woman before she had a chance to speak.

While Paige was still fathoming what drove his intricate mind, Seventeen bowed out and began his descent back to the ground. Even with Aran Tower fully operational, there was still much work for the onyx-haired commander and his gang of ragtag misfits.

OOC: I liked this roleplay =)